


at least i got you in my head

by dearhappy



Category: Love Simon (2018), Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Alternate Universe, Buzzfeed AU, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love, as in the whole gang works at buzzfeed, it's a fake relationship for the views
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-04-30 09:48:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearhappy/pseuds/dearhappy
Summary: “No. Absolutely not.”“Oh, come on. Please? It’s only a week!”“Oh? Just a week? Well, in that case the answer is still no,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares at the two of them.“Burke. It’s not like we’re asking you to marry her,” Garrett says, and then winces when Leah raises her brow. “Okay, technically we are. But it’s only pretend!”(or the one where the gang works at buzzfeed and leah & abby get fake married for the sake of a video series)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm in love with loto and have been feeling very inspired so enjoy this very random story I decided to start writing at like 2am last night. basically this is based on those 'single people get married for a week' videos buzzfeed has.
> 
> title: sleepover by hayley kiyoko

“No. Absolutely not.”

 

“Oh, come on. Please? It’s only a week!”

 

Leah frowns as she looks between Simon and Garrett sitting across from her with matching puppy eyed expressions.

 

She should’ve known the moment Simon came up to her as soon as she got to work with a bunch of compliments, iced coffee, and the exact cookies she’s been wanting all week but that they never have when she finally takes her lunch break and asking her to be a part of his newest video. She should’ve known it meant that he wanted her to be a part of something that she did not want to be a part of.

 

If Simon’s obvious attempts at buttering her up weren’t enough she should’ve known to run as soon as she saw Garrett waiting in the conference room for them. She loves Simon and has grown to like Garrett, but historically when the two are working together it usually means that she’s going to regret agreeing.

 

She thinks it has to do with the fact that Garrett has absolutely no shame and Simon is determined to find Garrett's limit. Which makes for good entertainment but sucks for everyone in the office who gets roped into their ideas.

 

“Oh? Just a week? Well, in that case the answer is still no,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares at the two of them.

 

“Burke,” Garrett says with that dumb soft smile of his that she’s seen him use to get his way multiple times. “It’s not like we’re asking you to marry her,” he says, and then winces when Leah raises her brow. “Okay, technically we are but it’s only pretend!”

 

Leah rolls her eyes. “This is a stupid video idea,” she grumbles.

 

“Come on, please,” Simon says, “It’ll be fun! Nick and Jackie did one and so did Taylor and Martin. And it went great. Okay, mostly great. Also, Garrett’s going to do one too. And I mean, I would if I weren’t already married.”

 

“Why can’t I do it with Garrett?” she asks abruptly, and she honestly can’t believe that she is asking it. But it’s a valid question because if he’s going to do it anyways why can’t it be with her.

 

Simon and Garrett both seem just as surprised by her question it seems as they exchange glances. “Well. Uh,” Garrett starts only to look towards Simon for help.

 

“Uh. So. We didn’t think you’d want to spend a week with Garrett,” Simon answers in a rush, he avoids looking at her as he speaks.

 

And sure Garrett annoys her sometimes but she doesn’t think she’s ever really hated spending time with the guy.

 

“And besides,” Simon continued quickly barrelling on before they can delve into any awkwardness. “So. We sort of planned for him to make the video with a guy. So that way there’s at least some diversity and it’s not so heteronormative. I mean, not that it'd actually be heteronormative since neither of you are straight. But you get my point.”

 

She nods, she does understand where he's coming from. And she hates how much sense it makes but that doesn't mean she wants to do it. She frowns, “I don’t like the idea of marriage.”

 

“That’s part of the point!” Garrett says excitedly. “You get to experience marriage with no strings attached. It’ll be fun.”

 

She eyes them suspiciously, she has a feeling they’ve prepared for most of her protests. She looks down at the papers they have scattered between them. “Why does it have to be with Abby?” she asks finally, because of all the people in the office they could’ve chosen from Simon just had to choose Abby Suso.

 

Simon lets out a frustrated groan. “Why do you hate Abby so much?” he asks and he looks like he wants to take the question back as soon as it’s out there.

 

She bites her lip as she looks at Simon and she can’t help but wonder if she actually is that much of a bitch that they think she hates Abby. But maybe she should be grateful they all think she hates Abby, it’s much more easier than being so painfully obvious about her feelings.

 

“I don’t hate Abby,” she says finally, the words coming out strained.

 

Simon opens his mouth to say more but Garrett swoops in quickly probably not wanting things to escalate while he’s sitting there. “Look, you two just have to pretend for a week. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

And she can’t help but think a lot of awful things could happen. Like her heart combusting over how she’ll get a taste of being in a relationship with the girl she’s so painfully and hopelessly in love with, the girl who won’t ever feel the same way. She really doesn’t think she can survive that.

 

“Worst case scenario? You get annoyed or something. Best case scenario? You guys will be friends!” Simon says and the last part is said with so much hope that she isn’t sure what to make of it. “I want you guys to be friends at least,” he adds quietly after a moment.

 

She slumps her shoulder as she looks down at the table, she hates how Simon’s voice sounds right now. “Do we even know if Abby will agree to this?”

 

Garrett laughs. “Yeah, Suso already agreed to fake marry you,” he admits with a bright grin.

 

She snaps her head up looking at them in disbelief, Simon at least has the decency to look sheepish at leaving out this very crucial fact.

 

She chews worriedly at her lip tapping her fingers against the conference table as she looks out the windows behind them. So Abby agreed to fake marry her, that’s something at the very least. And it’s just one week.

 

She can play pretend for a week and maybe she’s a bit selfish. Because she kind of wants to play pretend at getting that small experience of something she’ll never have with Abby. It’s the closest she’ll get to it. She knows this will likely just end up breaking her heart more but she can’t help the small yearning part of her telling her to do it.

 

She frowns as she looks at them again, studying them for a moment. She clears her throat. “Who is Garrett doing the video with?” she asks cautiously.

 

It’s a split second decision and she hopes they’re undecided because if she’s going to have to deal with being paired with Abby she wants to at least make Garrett do something similar.

 

And she doesn’t even know if he even has a crush on anyone that works with them but she’ll find out even if it’s the most minor crush ever. She doesn’t want to be the only one to go through this awkwardness.

 

“Well, we were thinking maybe Ethan or Lyle,” Simon answers after a moment of silence, probably trying to figure out if her question means good news for them.

 

So her hunch was right that they haven’t decided yet and she’s glad that they’re predictable in their sloppy planning because this works out perfectly for her.

 

She nods stiffly as she looks at Garrett, watching him carefully for a moment. “Alright, I’ll do the video,” she says slowly, she watches as both of them grin. “On one condition,” she adds after a beat.

 

They exchange looks before Garrett shrugs. “Alright, what’s your condition?” he asks with a bright grin leaning over the table just a bit.

 

“I want to be able to choose who Garrett does his video with,” she says.

 

Garrett looks wary as he leans back ever so slightly, his smile fading. He looks at Simon who is watching Leah with a mostly blank look as if he’s considering it. Garrett nudges Simon, who only breaks his gaze after a moment before looking at Garrett.

 

She crosses her arms as she leans back and watches as they turn around and speak in hushed whispers. She suspects that neither of them are sure what her game plan is but they’re clearly debating if bargaining is worth it.

 

Simon sighs loudly as he spins his chair back around like the dramatic person he is. “We’ll allow it,” he says in a serious tone, before grinning brightly at her.

 

“Okay. Then I’ll do the video with Abby,” she says.

 

They’re both nodding as they watch her expectantly, she figures that they’re waiting for her to provide them with a name for Garrett’s video. But she needs to do recon before she decides, so she smiles as she pushes her chair back and stands up. She clears her throat, “Well, you can give me all the video information later. You know where to find me.”

 

And it takes until she gets to the door for them to break their silence. She stops, leaving her hand on the doorknob when she hears Garrett call out a “Wait.” She tilts her head slightly to show that she’s listening.

 

He pauses, before finally asking: “Who do you want me to do the video with?”

 

She smiles to herself before finally turning to look back at them. “I’ll let you know when I decide,” she answers shooting them a grin. She opens the door and walks out.

 

She hears an exasperated “What the hell does that mean?” coming from the room and can’t help but laugh as she makes her way back to her desk.

 

When she finally sits down at her desk she lets out a heavy sigh as she realizes three things. One: she can’t believe she actually agreed to do this video with Abby Suso. Two: she has no idea where to even begin on figuring out who Garrett may like, if there is anyone. And three: she’s a complete and utter idiot for actually agreeing to do this video with Abby Suso.

 

 

*

 

 

She still hasn’t figured out what to do about the Garrett thing, she figures best bets are to talk to Bram about it but he’s busy filming today. So for now she settles on watching Garrett carefully anytime she sees him around the office in a vain attempt of seeing if she could find out if there’s someone he likes.

 

Eventually, she just throws herself into her work of editing her current video. Trying very hard not to think about the Abby thing. She loses track of time and doesn’t even realize it’s almost lunch time until she feels a tap on her shoulder startling her. She pulls her headphones out as she looks over to see Bram looking at her with a smile.

 

“We’re going out to lunch, do you want to come with?”

 

Leah blinks at him before turning to look back at her computer screen at the time. “Wow, I can’t believe it’s lunch time already,” she says with a sigh as she starts saving the progress she’s made so far. “Who else is going?”

 

“The usual group,” Bram answers as he sits down at his desk right beside her, angling himself so he’s facing her. “We’re going to that taco place that’s nearby, the one with the dollar tacos. So are you in?”

 

She holds in her sigh at the fact that it’s the usual gang, meaning that includes Abby Suso. Abby who she’s not actively avoiding but was hoping not to see so soon because that means having to acknowledge that starting on Monday they’ll have to pretend to be married.

 

But she knows she has to talk to her eventually, so she runs a hand through her hair as she looks over towards Bram. “Yeah, okay,” she says, “Just let me save this.”

 

Bram nods as he turns back towards his own organized space, pulling out his phone. She assumes he’s texting Simon, and she turns back to her screen as she slowly goes through the process of saving all of her current work and shutting off her computer.

 

She sighs as she moves to grab her bag from underneath the desk and unplugs her phone from it’s charger before looking over at Bram who’s softly smiling at his screen. Definitely texting Simon then.

 

She clears her throat gently as she waits for him to look up. “You ready to go?” she asks with a teasing smile.

 

He ducks his head slightly as he stands up and types something before pocketing his phone. “Simon’s waiting for us downstairs. I think the others are meeting us there,” he says as he waits for her before they start walking in step with each other.

 

As they make their way towards the elevators she asks him about his current projects in a way to distract herself momentarily from the conversation that’s sure to come as the elevator reaches the lobby and they’re joined by Simon. She watches the numbers and tries her best to brace herself as it gets closer to the ground floor.

 

Sure enough Simon is leaning against the wall besides the elevators and he grins brightly at them when they walk out. The grin directed more so towards Bram as he walks over and links their hands together before they start walking.

 

“So, Leah,” Simon says looking towards her as she walks in step on his other side. She stares ahead holding in a sigh. “You won’t regret doing the video.”

 

Leah crosses her arms over her chest as she resists the urge to roll her eyes. “I doubt that,” she says quietly as they start walking towards the restaurant. She can practically feel Simon pouting at her remark.

 

“I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of surprised you agreed to do it,” Bram says suddenly.

 

She falters slightly as she looks over towards him, he’s not looking towards her and she can’t see his face properly. But she can’t help worrying that everyone in the office thinks she’s some uptight stick in the mud or something.

 

Simon laughs. “She did only agree on one condition,” he points out with a shake of his head. Bram’s interest seems to peak as he turns his head slightly towards her, raising his brow slightly.

 

Well, it’s now or never, she supposes before they meet Garrett for lunch. She takes a deep breath. “Speaking of the condition. Bram, I have a question,” she says, her voice sounding unsure and she hates it.

 

“Okay, what is it?” Bram asks, and she looks up to see him glancing at her expectantly. Simon on the other hand is giving her a strange look, the one he gets when he’s confused and trying to figure out what’s going on.

 

“So, hypothetically,” she says turning away quickly as she looks ahead of them. “If Garrett liked someone in the office you’d know, right?” Bram slowly hums in confirmation. “Well, does he like anyone in the office?” she asks, glancing over at the two.

 

Bram looks hesitant. But she can practically hear Simon’s mind whirring as he tries figuring out why she has such a sudden interest in Garrett’s love life. It takes him a long moment before his eyes widen.

 

“Oh!” he practically shouts. “Is that what this is about?” he asks almost excitedly as he looks at her. “Bram, c’mon. Please tell us that he likes someone! We were going to do the video with a guy. That was the plan. But if he likes a girl I’ll make an exception for the sake of this being an amazing idea. I can’t believe I didn’t think of it, Leah.”

 

She laughs as she listens to Simon ramble. But her heart skips a beat as she worries that they’ll catch on to the real reasoning behind her wanting to suddenly play matchmaker for Garrett.

 

“What’s the idea?” Bram asks slowly.

 

Leah opens her mouth to explain but Simon beats her to it. She’s secretly grateful that he’s talking about it instead, she’s worried she’ll reveal too much and she doesn’t want that.

 

“Leah’s condition was that she gets to decide who Garrett gets fake married to for a week,” Simon explains, he’s basically a ball of energy. She isn’t even surprised at how excited he is by the idea of setting Garrett.

 

Bram doesn’t say anything just looks ahead as they continue walking. And her heart beats faster at the idea of Bram seeing through her motivations and figuring out that she’s secretly in love with Abby. That he’ll realize Simon and everyone else is so far off the mark in thinking she hates Abby.

 

If anyone can figure it out, she thinks it’ll be Bram. He’s the most observant person she knows.

 

“So, does he?” She asks gently, trying to get him out of his head before he can piece the puzzle together.

 

“Please, I know you know something!” Simon pleads bumping gently into Bram as they’re walking. “Tell us! Aren’t you tired of how much he complains about being single?”

 

Bram tries not to smile as he tilts his head in consideration. “Well,” he starts slowly, and Simon practically lights up. “He has been mentioning a certain guy from work a lot lately.”

 

Leah raises her brows, she knew Bram would be the best bet of getting this information. “Who is it?” she asks. And she thinks Simon is rubbing off on her because she feels giddy about this information.

 

Bram smiles as he gazes at the two of them. “Cal Price,” he answers.

 

Simon hums. “I didn’t know he talked to Cal,” he says tilting his head slightly.

 

Bram laughs. “Oh, no. They’ve spoken like twice, when he produced that alcohol tasting video we were in a few weeks ago,” he explains. “But that doesn’t stop Garrett from talking about him.”

 

“Wait,” Simon says abruptly as a realization dawns on him. He’s stopped walking causing Leah and Bram to share bemused looks as they wait for him. “Wait. Hang on, the person behind the camera that Garrett was drunkenly trying to flirt with was Cal?”

 

Her eyes widen as she thinks back to Simon bombarding Garrett with questions and teasing him endlessly when the video was released a few days ago. She’d completely forgotten about it. And now the blush that Cal had when Simon asked him about it makes so much more sense. She turns to face Bram for confirmation, he’s grinning and nodding.

 

“Wow,” Leah grins. And this is really working out a lot better than she thought it would. “Okay. Cal Price it is,” she says decisively, then adds, “He’s really cute.”

 

“Oh, I know right?” Simon says excitedly. Bram clears his throat, and Simon snaps his gaze towards him. “Of course, he’s got nothing on you, babe. I’ve married the most beautiful guy in the office.”

 

She looks away from them as they continue to look at each other so fondly, she can’t help but feel a burst of jealousy. Not directed at either of them in specific but at what they have together. They’re so happy and in love and her heart aches for something like that but she worries that she’ll never get that.

 

 

*

 

 

“Well, if isn’t my future fake wife,” Abby says happily as soon as she sees them make their way to the table. She’s pulling out the seat next to her and smiling at Leah so brightly it’s like looking at the sun.

 

And Leah can’t help the way her traitorous heart is banging in her chest so fast it aches. She ducks her head in a vain attempt to hide her blush as she slides into the seat next to her. Bram and Simon slide in across from her.

 

“I ordered for you already to prove that I’m going to be the best fake wife you’ll ever have,” Abby says and she’s still looking at Leah with that bright smile of hers.

 

Leah feels like she’s drowning as she nods. “Oh. Thanks,” she mutters as she tears her gaze away from Abby, looking down at the plate of tacos in front of her and the drink as well. She looks across to see that Garrett must’ve ordered for Bram and Simon.

 

“Actually,” Nick interrupts from his spot next to Abby. “I was the one who ordered for you. Abby’s just taking credit.”

 

“Details,” Abby replies waving her hand dismissively as she looks at him.

 

Garrett laughs from his seat across from Nick. “Hey. So are you excited for your week of fake marriage?”

 

Leah shrugs as she starts to pick at her food. While Abby seems much more enthusiastic about the whole ordeal, but she’s not surprised Abby is always so energetic and bursting with life. Of course she’d be enthusiastic about this.

 

“We’re going to have the best fake marriage in the entire world,” Abby says calmly with a soft smile on her face. But there’s something that sparks in her eyes when she looks at Leah that makes her think she’s issuing it as a challenge.

 

Leah has no idea who Abby is issuing the challenge to.

 

She clears her throat. “Well. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she says slowly, letting her gaze fall towards her food.

 

“You need to have more faith in us, Leah. We’re clearly the superior fake marriage out of the current competition,” Abby says, gently squeezing Leah’s hand that’s resting on the table between them.

 

“It’s not really a competition,” Leah responds at the same time that Nick lets out an offended, “Hey!”

 

Abby and Nick delve into a playful argument over who’s fake marriage is or will be better. Leah shakes her head as she zones out instead eating her lunch as they argue beside her.

 

Simon clears his throat, and when Leah looks over at him she can see the almost mischievous look in his eyes. It’s clear he’s bursting to just tell Garrett about Leah’s decision, so she sighs before nodding. “Garrett,” he says looking towards him with a grin. “Leah has decided who she wants you to get fake married to.”

 

That catches Garrett’s attention as he sits up straighter and looks at her expectantly. It also catches Abby and Nick’s attention as they abruptly stop their not really argument.

 

“So, who’s the lucky person?” Garrett asks with a smirk.

 

She clears her throat as her briefly gaze cuts to Simon and Bram who are both watching Garrett carefully. “I decided that you should get fake married to Cal,” she says carefully.

 

Garrett practically chokes on air as she says Cal’s name, and she tries her best not to laugh. His eyes are wide as he sends a look towards Bram. “Oh. Cal,” he says avoiding meeting her gaze. “That’s… Okay, cool. Cool. Cool.”

 

And he looks so flustered, it’s a completely different side of Garrett. One that she’s never seen before. He’s always so self assured and boisterous, it’s weird to see him like this but at the same time she thinks she’s kinda enjoying it.

 

Abby gasps quietly. “Oh my god, Garrett! Do you like Cal?”

 

“No,” Garrett scoffs, shaking his head quickly. “No, I don’t like… You like him!”

 

“Wow. Guys, I think I’ve been transported back to middle school,” Nick says teasingly as he watches Garrett sputter out some more denial responses. The laughter only grows when Garrett flips him off.

 

Abby looks so ecstatic at Garrett’s childish response, it’s such an Abby reaction. “Aw! Garrett, that’s so cute!” she coos with a bright grin.

 

Leah has to agree it’s kind of cute, if she’s honest she hadn’t expected him to be so flustered about his crush on Cal. But here he is turning red and she kind of feels for the guy as Nick teases him about his crush and Abby asks a million questions. She would hate it if she was in Garrett’s position right now, even though she had put him there.

 

“You should try wooing him during your week together,” Leah says suddenly, causing everyone to look towards her in surprise.

 

Garrett opens his mouth and then clamps it shut, settling for looking at her with a weird expression. She thinks that maybe he hadn’t expected her to say something like that, maybe he’s trying to decipher if she’s joking or not. It wouldn’t be the first time.

 

Leah clears her throat feeling awkward about everyone looking at her. “I’m serious, you clearly like him a lot,” she says, tapping her fingers against the table as she stares at her half eaten food. “You should use this video as an attempt to get to know him. Then, woo him and get him at least interested in a possibility of more. I mean, you have to try, right?”

 

The table is quiet for a moment. Maybe, it’s only for few seconds but it feels like an eternity to Leah.

 

“Huh. That’s actually not a bad idea,” Abby says softly, breaking the silence. And when Leah looks up she sees Abby staring at her with a strange look that she can’t decipher, she holds Leah’s gaze for a moment before turning to Garrett. “You should totally go for it, woo the hell out of the guy.”

 

Leah feels so out of it as her mind tries to make sense of Abby and her strange meaningful looks. And all of her overall confusing behaviour. She thinks for the millionth time since agreeing that she’s so in over her head, she can’t do this. But it’s too late to back down.

 

“Do you really think I should go for it?” Garrett asks quietly after a moment. He looks around the group as they all answer telling him he should, before he’s looking at Leah with such an earnest look waiting for her response.

 

She nods. “I really do,” she answers with a small smile.

 

“Alright. I’ll go for it,” he replies after a moment, sitting up again. His smile is so bright, it’s like all that shy doubt she saw moments before completely vanishes. He’s back to usual confident self, all his nervousness pushed to the side.

 

There’s no doubt in her mind that he’ll definitely go try wooing Cal during their week. And she’s instantly jealous of how easily he’s ready to at least try. That’s what Garrett does he takes risks and doesn’t look back even if he thinks it might not work, at least he tries.

 

She sneaks a glance at Abby who is laughing along to whatever the guys are talking about now.

 

And she really wishes she could be more like Garrett, wishes she could take her own advice and just try. She wants to try, but she knows she won’t. She can’t bring herself to.


	2. Chapter 2

 

_ Monday _

  
  


Leah spends the entire weekend mentally preparing herself for what’s to come, yet all of her mental preparedness goes out the window when she has a slew of texts from Simon about the production schedule for the day. 

 

And the very last shreds of preparedness disappear completely as she sits in the backseat of Simon and Bram’s car on the way to work. Simon is rambling on about how fun this week will be.

 

All she can do is force a small smile to hide the fact that she feels like she’s going to throw up or spontaneously combust. She’s internally screaming at herself for being such an idiot for agreeing to do this. 

 

She can’t do this, she can’t do this, she can’t do this. 

  
  


*

  
  


Nick is getting her mic’d up as Simon runs her through their plan for the day. At this moment she’s glad he actually remembered to send her the shooting schedule for the morning because she just can’t focus on what he’s saying right now.

 

And then Abby is joining them with a bright smile directed at Leah and she can feel it in her bones. It’s too much to have Abby smile at her like that, she's pretty sure if Abby continues to smile at her like that she won't be able survive the week. She forces herself to walk away, making her way to where Garrett’s setting up the camera equipment.

 

“You excited, Burke?” Garrett asks. 

 

It takes her a moment to respond. “Sorry, what?” she asks looking at him, she tries to glare when he laughs. But she thinks that it's not coming off the way she wants, she blames her internal panic over Abby for that. He repeats the question and she shrugs looking at the backdrop where they’re filming some of the introductory stuff. “Yeah, I guess so.”

 

He snorts as he continues to check that everything's set up properly. “Yeah, you sound  _very_ excited,” he says, shaking his head. 

 

She rolls her eyes. “Right, let me try that again for you,” she says, clearing her throat slightly. “Yeah, I guess so. Exclamation point,” she says in an over exaggerated excited voice.  

 

Garrett laughs as he looks towards her. “That’s more like it!”

 

“Alright, you ready to film?” Simon interrupts from where Abby is finishing getting mic’d up. Garrett gives him a half hearted thumbs up as he looks at the camera, then ushers Leah to the spot in front of it.

 

Before she knows it Abby is standing beside her with a soft smile as she leans in closer to her. “You ready for marriage?” she whispers. 

 

Leah almost forgets how to breathe with Abby leaning in so close, looking at her like _that_. She lets out a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she whispers back, what she really wants to say is she isn’t ready at all, she doesn’t think there’s a universe in which she is ready to torture herself by playing pretend with Abby. 

 

Abby tilts her head as she looks at her, almost as if she’s trying to make sense of something. And Leah panics momentarily, thinking that she knows how Leah feels about her. But she just smiles again and nods as she leans away. 

 

“Okay. We’re going to start filming,” Garrett says loudly from his spot behind the camera. “So, we’ll do an introductory bit and then we’ll ask some questions about marriage. Got it?” He waits for them to nod before he looks back to the camera. “And… We’re rolling.”

 

Abby practically transforms in front of the camera, standing up straighter and smiling brighter. Putting the full charming act on. And this isn’t the first time Leah’s noticed this, but it’s still striking to see in person. “Hi, I’m Abby,” she says with a grin. 

 

Leah turns away, looking at the camera with a small smile. “And I’m Leah,” she says, suddenly feeling immensely self conscious standing next to Abby. 

 

“And we’re getting married for a week!” Abby says excitedly, as she got closer to the end of the sentence her hand found its way to Leah’s. By the end she’s holding up their connected hands for the camera to see. “Was that good?” she asks, her hand lingering before she hesitantly lets go. 

 

“Yeah, it was perfect,” Simon says from beside Garrett. He looks down at the paper in his hands, “Okay. So the first question is do you enjoy being single?”

 

“Well,” Leah says at the same time Abby starts to say something. She stops, turning to Abby. “Sorry. You can go first.”

 

Abby laughs, shaking her head. “No, you go first,” she insists. 

 

Leah takes a deep breath as she turns away, scratching her hand slightly. “Yeah. When I was in high school, I always felt bad about not ever dating. But now that I’m older, I realize I actually enjoy being on my own. I like having my space and freedom,” she says and she catches Simon nodding encouragingly, as if urging her to continue.

 

She thinks Abby seems to catch on to this hesitancy because she cuts in. “Yeah, I agree. I like being able to do what I want without having to worry about fitting someone else into my life. But I have to admit it’s nice when you actually have a real connection with someone,” she explains, “Although, it’s not necessary for your happiness to be in a relationship.”

 

There’s a beat of silence. Before Garrett asks the second question, “What are your thoughts on marriage?”

 

“One day I want to get married. I think like any serious relationship it’s a lot of work but with the right person it’s worth it,” Abby says, she has this soft wistful expression on her face as she speaks. “Like, it’s beautiful to be able to share your life completely with someone you love.”

 

“That’s terrifying,” she blurts out suddenly. 

 

Abby quirks her eyebrow slightly, she’s looking at her curiously. “Why do you say that?”

 

Leah pauses, clearing her throat. “The whole idea of committing your entire life to someone is terrifying,” she admits. “One day you can be entirely in love with someone and then years down the road it can fall apart.”

 

She hates that she can feel Simon’s gaze on her, she takes the chance to look at him and he has a furrowed brow look but quickly looks away from her. And she feels awful for not being more careful. It's just that when marriage is brought up, she can’t help but think of her parents’ marriage.

 

“But,” she says quickly, “The sentiment is nice. That commitment. And it falling apart... That’s not always the case, you know. I think a lot of people can make this work because they found the right person. I mean, my best friend has been married for a year and a half and he’s still in a perpetual honeymoon stage. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him, so I guess marriage isn’t  _ so _ bad.”

 

She’s looking at Simon when she says it. It takes a moment, but he glances up trying not to smile, she smiles softly back. She turns away only to find Abby looking at her as if she’s trying to figure out a puzzle she can’t quite understand. And Leah doesn't think she likes the idea of being looked at like that.

 

Garrett clears his throat, shaking her from her thoughts. “What do you expect to get out of this week?” he asks. And Leah’s mind blanks completely, what she’s expecting is getting her heart broken because she’s an idiot. Though that’s not something she can admit.

 

“I think… To get a feel of this whole marriage thing. And maybe just have us come out of this being better friends,” Abby answers. “Anything to add?”

 

Leah blinks as she shakes her head. “Nope,” she answers, “I couldn’t agree more.”

 

“Alright, I think that’s enough for the intro. Now we’ll have you sit down with our marriage consultant for the rules,” Garrett says, as he steps away from the camera to grab the chairs from the side. 

 

“It’s Simon isn’t it?” Abby asks, it sounds more like a statement though. Garrett nods, and she doesn’t even look surprised.

 

“I’m pretty sure the fact that he always talks about _his_ marriage isn’t enough to qualify him to be a consultant,” Leah adds teasingly as she looks directly at him.

 

“I don’t  _ always _ talk about my marriage,” Simon defends, his cheeks are turning a rosy color though as she raises a brow at him. “Oh, just sit down so we can finish filming stuff.”

 

And Abby laughs so brightly and clearly as she shares a look with Leah. “He’s clearly in denial,” she jokes. 

 

Leah can feel her heart bang against her ribs at the sound of her laughter as she smiles back.

 

They joke around as Simon gets into explaining what marriage is actually like, at least for him and Bram. The way Simon talks about marriage is a version of it Leah thinks she can get behind, but she can't help the nagging reminder of her parent's in the back of her mind. He gives them a few tips on how to make marriage work, before he finally gets to telling them the guidelines for the week. Which includes that they have to eat, sleep, and live together which was to be expected. That they need to communicate every day, he insists on four texts per day at the very least. 

 

“You have to do at least two random acts of kindness,” he says. “And one planned romantic date night.”

 

“Each?” Leah asks.

 

“Yeah, each. It can be something small, it doesn’t matter. You both just need to do at least two nice things for each other. And each of you have to plan one date for the other,” he explains. 

 

“We can manage to do that. We got this, Leah,” Abby says. And it’s like she’s oozing with confidence, that spark in her eyes from before is there again.

 

“Yeah, you got this in the bag,” Simon laughs. “The next thing is that you need to sit down and have at least five meals together this week.”

 

“Don’t you and Bram eat almost every meal together?”

 

“Well, Abby, not all of us can be like Simon and Bram,” Leah deadpans.

 

Abby hums, glancing over at her. “I don’t know I think we can be a better couple than them,” she says casually. 

 

“Can we though?” Leah asks, raising a brow as she meets her gaze.

 

She pauses bringing a hand to her chin as if she’s in deep thought, she sighs heavily as she looks at Simon shaking her head gently. “You’re right, it’s impossible,” she says. “Damn those two for raising the relationship standards. I guess we’ll just have to settle for second best.”

 

And Leah can only laugh in response which makes Abby give her an oddly delighted grin.

 

“Uh. So, lastly,” Simon says, trying to gain back their attention. “You’ll have to hang out with another couple-”

 

“Does that mean double date with you and Bram?” Abby interrupts, when Simon nods in confirmation. She grins, “Double date! Double date!”

 

Leah lets out a sigh, but if she’s honest it comes out more fond than she wants it to. She can only hope nobody else notices. “Is it too early to get a divorce?”

 

“You can’t. You’re stuck with me,” Abby responds with a bright grin. 

 

Leah can’t help but think she doesn’t really mind being stuck with her. And she knows that she’s so completely in trouble, and this is going to be a long week.

  
  


 

Her solo interview goes by in a blur of her just repeating what she’s already said. And she vaguely touches on her worries on not being good at letting people into her life. She admits being nervous about doing this, then she lies about what she thinks the week is going to be like for her.

  
  


*

  
  


There’s a fake ceremony on the building roof. They pulled out a decorative arch with flowers woven into it that’ll get thrown into the props room afterwards. And Taylor’s there holding an array of wedding veils attached to crowns that were clearly bought from a Party City for them to choose from. 

 

Leah picks one at random, while Abby takes her time looking at each one to decide. She sighs as she puts the veil on and sits at the table while she watches Garrett and Simon run around trying to set up with the help of a few of their co workers. 

 

She hears Abby’s laugh before she notices her next to her. “Here, let me fix this,” she says quietly reaching out to fix the veil. 

 

Leah holds her breath as Abby is leaning into her space again, she's trying her best not to stare. Not for the first time she’s reminded of how nice she thinks kissing Abby would be. She swallows as she tries to push that thought away. “Better?” she breathes out, watching Abby step away looking at her appraisingly. The smile Abby sends her is soft, almost secretive before she nods. Leah clears her throat, offering a weak smile. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem. So,” Abby starts to say as she leans against the table beside her she’s staring at the wedding set up. “This week will be interesting.”

 

And the way she says it sounds like there’s an underlying meaning, but Leah can’t for the life of her figure it out. “I guess it will,” she replies. 

 

Abby turns back to face her again with that same smile from a few seconds before. “I think they’re ready for us,” she says nodding towards Simon who’s waving them over. 

 

Leah swallows any emotions she’s feeling as she gets up from her seat, making her way over to the arch and the small group of people. Garrett’s calling out directions as he gets them in position. 

 

Simon clears his throat and they run through a simplified joke version of a marriage ceremony. “You may now kiss the bride,” he says, obviously they don’t have to. They’re not meant to since this is all fake, but she still feels a swoop in her stomach at the wording as she looks at Abby. 

 

Abby who’s already watching her with that soft smile of hers, that only grows when they make eye contact. She holds up her hand for a high five, Leah looks at her hand before going for it. As soon as she does though, Abby intertwines their fingers. 

 

Leah tries to stop herself from thinking too much into what this means. It doesn’t mean anything, it can’t mean anything. There’s various cheers from the group, some just monotone to keep in time with the fact this is for a video. This is all fun and games, she pulls her hand away as Garrett yells out a cut. 

 

Simon keeps them there while he watches through the video seeming content with the footage they have. Then, he lets them leave as they pack everything up again.

 

She’s already heading back inside when Abby stops her with a gentle touch on her arm. She starts to say something, but then Taylor is there reminding her that they need to go film for another video she's working on. 

 

Abby sends Leah an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’ll catch up with you later,” she says, letting Taylor drag her away.

 

Leah stands there for a moment as she watches Abby walk away, she can’t help but wonder what she’d wanted to say. But she takes a deep breath, shaking her head to clear those thoughts.

  
  


*

  
  


She finds Cal waiting at her desk with his laptop closed in front of him while quietly chatting with Bram. She furrows her brow unsure of what to make of the situation, as far as she knows Simon hasn’t had a chance to ask him to be in the video yet. Bram notices her first and smiles, “Hey Leah.” 

 

“Hey,” she replies as she watches Cal get up from her chair and look at her. “Hey Cal. Did you need something?”

 

“Hey,” he replies, sliding his things to the next seat over. Anna’s desk but she’s taking a few days off. “We were supposed to work on editing the new Try Guys video together, remember?” 

 

“Oh,” she answers. Of course, she’d been too busy thinking about the whole fake married to Abby thing that she’d completely forgotten she has other things to do here at work. Forgotten that she’d made a promise to Cal.

 

Her face must show that she forgot because Cal sends her an understanding look. “You forgot, didn’t you?” he asks cautiously, he by no means sounds upset about it. “Don’t worry about it. If you’re busy right now, I can come back another time,” he offers softly.

 

And seriously Cal is way too nice for his own good.

 

“No,” Leah answers quickly, shaking her head. “It’s fine. I just finished filming something with Simon and I’m sorta all over the place right now,” she explains, she leaves out the fact that her mind is all over the place because of the way Abby had been looking at her throughout most of the morning. “Give me a minute to pull up the files and we’ll get to work.”

 

“Okay,” he replies with a smile as he moves to sit down, rolling Anna’s chair closer to Leah’s space so they can get to work. 

 

Leah sends him a small smile as she gets settled into her seat. And starts getting everything set up so they can go through literal hours of him, Simon, Nick, and Ethan attempting to do whatever it is they had decided to do for this video.

 

And maybe this is a good thing because she could definitely use a distraction. 

  
  


*

  
  


Simon shows up with snacks he snagged from the set of a taste testing video and smiles as he places them in front of Bram. He then glances towards where Leah and Cal are sharing a pair of headphones as they watch Nick and Simon argue over something their instructor told them. 

 

(They’re both wrong.)

 

“Oh, hey! You guys are editing our video,” he says excitedly.

 

Leah snorts as she pauses the video, glancing over towards Simon. “We’re only forty five minutes in and you’ve already mentioned Bram and slash or marriage twenty times,” she teases, reminding him of their earlier conversation.

 

Simon’s cheeks turn a light pink as he looks at her and then at the screen. “Seriously guys, I don’t think I talk about him _that_ much,” he says, but it’s clear he’s trying not to smile. 

 

“You do. We started to keep a tally,” Cal says. The second part isn’t even a joke they have an unofficial tally going on any time they edit together, it started as a joke. But soon became a way to keep them from getting bored of replaying the same things over and over in order to decide what to use.

 

Leah nods as she explains, “I don’t think you even realize how much you do it. It’s just a lot more obvious when we have to sit through editing everything.”

 

She notices that Bram is grinning so brightly up at Simon, looking beyond ecstatic about this revelation. It’s adorable.

 

Simon opens his mouth before closing it as he looks at them. Then his gaze goes to the screen between them, his expression softening. “Well, you can’t blame me for talking about how I’m married to Bram so much. I mean, seriously, just look at him,” he says, gesturing towards him.

 

Bram chuckles as he shakes his head. His expression is amused and so overly fond. “You’re so cute, Si,” he says quietly. And Simon looks at him with a fond look of his own. 

 

The way they look at each other is so filled with love, she’s surprised there aren’t literal hearts in their eyes. They’re looking at each other like the other is the only other person in existence. And she figures that actually might be the case in their minds. They have something beyond special, she can only dream of having something even close to what they have.

 

And she’s pretty sure if they weren’t in the work place they’d probably kiss right now. But they can't, so Bram reaches out and squeezes Simon’s hand gently, holding it for a moment. They're still looking at each other with the same expression. And it’s not even that intimate of a moment yet she still feels like she’s intruding.

 

So she turns away, looking back to the screen. And she’s about to ask Cal if they should use the argument footage when Simon seems to remember they’re still there. 

 

“Oh. Cal,” he says suddenly, it’s obviously so fake casual and a segway to something else. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”

 

Leah freezes slightly knowing what’s about to come, she’d only thought about Garrett’s role in this when she proposed the idea and then it left her mind. She’d forgotten how this only works if Cal agrees. She realizes now that the chances of that are slim.

 

“So, me and Garrett. I’m sorry. I mean, Garrett and I,” he corrects himself with a sigh. And she doesn’t even have to turn back to know he’s shooting an exasperated but mostly fond look towards Bram. “Are working on this video series called single people getting married for a week. And since I know you’re single I was wondering if you’d do one of the videos.”

 

Cal looks hesitant about the entire idea, she thinks he wants to say no but is too nice to just do so right away. “I don’t know,” he says slowly, “I’ll have to think about it.”

 

“Alright, that’s fine. We’ll need an answer before Friday though. Since this week we’re filming one for Abby and Leah. And we plan to film Garrett’s next week,” he explains. It’s almost obvious he’s trying to be as casual about this as possible. 

 

“Garrett? You mean Bram's friend Garrett?” Cal asks, sounding so uncertain. And he's looking at Simon with a strange look. 

 

“Yeah, that’s the one. And that's who you’d be doing the video with. He’s great, it’ll be fun,” Simon replies smiling innocently.

 

And she’s surprised that he isn’t laying it on thicker in the usual Simon manner.

 

But she supposes he knows that if he goes overboard he’ll just scare Cal off. In a way, she’s almost proud of Simon keeping his cool in this situation and for being mostly subtle for once. Cal hasn’t said anything and is avoiding eye contact as he plays with the wire of his headphones. 

 

“Just think about and let me know your decision,” Simon says. And it’s clear he has more to say but at that moment Martin is calling his name from the other side of the office. He lets out a heavy sigh as he looks over. “I gotta go. If you have questions just ask Leah. She can explain it more,” he says. And then he’s leaning down and whispering something in Bram's ear before rushing off. 

 

They sit in a silence for a moment, she considers pressing on and asking Cal if he thinks he’d do the video. She thinks maybe she could persuade him into agreeing. But she just doesn’t know how to begin trying to do that, she isn’t good at things like this. She looks at him and notices he has this pensive look as he stares at her computer screen. 

 

Finally, he quietly asks, “How are you enjoying the fake married thing?”

 

She opens her mouth, only to be interrupted by her phone beeping on her desk. “We just started it today,” she says, deciding to ignore it but then her phone goes off three more times and she sighs as she looks at it. They’re all messages from Abby. 

 

_ Hello, my darling fake wife! I miss you soooooooo much! _

_ Hope you’re having a wonderful day!! _

_ I was hoping to take you out to lunch but filming is going longer than planned, so I guess I won’t be able to do that _

_ Looks like we’ll have to go the rest of work without seeing each other :( _

 

She can’t help but smile softly at the messages before responding to them. She blinks and looks over when she hears Cal softly clearing his throat. It takes her a moment to realize that she’d zoned out while smiling at her phone so much that she hadn’t realized he was talking to her. “Sorry, what did you say?” she asks.

 

And he’s looking at her with a faint smile. “Nevermind, it doesn’t matter,” he says quietly as he gestures to her computer. “Let’s just get back to work?”

 

She nods slowly, but she can’t fight the blush that is surely making its way to her cheeks as she immediately looks away from him. She’s almost positive she’s as red as a tomato but if she is Cal doesn’t say anything about it.

  
  


*

  
  


Abby was right, they don’t see each other until the end of the day. She’s getting ready to leave for the day when Abby meets her at her desk with one of her blinding sunshine smiles, followed by Simon with a camera bag.

 

“So, I want to get some shots of you guys going into Abby’s apartment. You know stuff like that,” Simon explains as soon as they’re standing close enough to her. 

 

She sighs, nodding as she hikes her bag on her shoulder. “Okay, I guess,” she answers as she starts walking.

  
When she walks past Abby, Abby immediately reaches out linking their hands, intertwining their fingers together. She only grins in response when Leah sends her a questioning look. And her hearts beating so loudly she hears it in her ears. It’s only hand holding yet she almost feels like she’s on fire, burning up entirely. And her mind racing with thoughts. She thinks she should just pull her hand away but she just can’t bring herself to do it.

 

“Aw,” Simon coos from behind them. “I need to film this!”

 

When she looks back she sees him fumbling to pull out his phone to record them. And she reminds herself this is all for show, Abby is committed to playing the part completely through and through. 

  
  


*

  
  


Abby lets Simon in first as he wants to get video of them walking through the door. “Do you guys want to do the threshold thing?” he asks when they’re already halfway through the door. “It could be cute.”   
  


Leah scrunches up her face as she looks directly at him. “No. I really don’t want to do that,” she answers. 

 

“We don’t have to. Besides we’re already over the threshold. It’s too late,” Abby says, holding the door open as she watches Leah walk further in. 

 

She offers a small smile as she takes in Abby’s apartment, she’s only now realizing this is the first time she’s ever actually been to Abby’s place. She’s taking in everything, feeling so out of her comfort zone. “Uh. Where should I put my things?” she asks, watching Abby lock the door. 

 

“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” she says softly, more to herself than to Leah it seems. She’s walking past Leah now, grabbing her hand again as she leads her down the small hallway. Simon following with the camera. 

 

It feels almost like this is becoming a thing, Abby holding Leah’s hand. And Leah isn’t sure whether she likes it or not because it makes her feel like she’s on fire and that can’t be good for her heart. 

 

“Maybe, I should’ve cleared a drawer out for you,” Abby says once they’re in her room. She’s looking around as if trying to find a place for Leah to leave her things.

 

Leah shakes her head. “It’s fine, I can live out of my bag for a week,” she explains, grip tightening around her bag as her eyes gaze around all the things in Abby’s room. 

 

“You sure?”

 

She nods. “Yeah, just tell me where I should put it though?”

 

Abby nods, telling her to leave it on the floor beside the dresser. 

 

Simon films them as she shows Leah around the apartment. And as they go over each other’s usual schedules and routines. They discuss how to make their routines work together. He gets footage of them deciding who gets what side of the bed, the two of them lying awkwardly next to each other in her bed. 

 

After his phone rings, he seems to decide that they have enough footage necessary. As he’s packing up the camera, he sends them a grin. “Well, have fun guys,” he says. "Don't forget to film some stuff, okay?"

 

“Leaving so soon?” Abby says. “You can’t stay with the Burke-Suso’s for a little while?” 

 

“Burke-Suso?” Leah ask, furrowing her brows. 

 

Abby simply shrugs, smiling at her. “Yeah, it sounds better that way,” she replies. 

 

Leah tries not to get her hopes up because that implies Abby has thought about this. About who’s last name they’d have, that’s not important with a fake marriage. She wonders if it means anything, she isn’t sure how to feel if it _does_ mean anything. 

 

Simon laughs. “Well. As much as I would love to stay awhile in the Burke-Suso residency. Bram is here to pick me up,” he says, smiling softly. 

 

Abby rolls her eyes fondly. “Okay. We’ll see you tomorrow then,” she says, walking him out. Once she’s locking the door she turns to Leah with a smile, “So, what’s our plans for dinner? Should we make something now or later?”

  
  


 

Abby is recording herself on her phone as she’s reheating leftovers, Leah’s watching from her spot at the kitchen table. “Leah and I are enjoying our first meal together as couple, it’s all very romantic. Also one down for the week,” she says to the camera. 

 

“You’re just heating up leftovers you had in your fridge I hardly think that counts as romantic,” Leah points out. 

 

She sends her an exasperated look, though it’s apparent she’s trying not to smile. “Leah, it still counts as dinner. And it’s romantic because it’s our first meal as a married couple. Romance doesn't mean fancy," she says pointedly.

 

Leah shakes her head. “If you say so, dear,” she says sarcastically as she scrolls through her phone. 

 

“It’s so hard to please her,” she jokes looking at the camera. “We’re already acting like an old married couple. Anyways, I think we’re going to eat dinner while watching TV and then head to bed.”

  
  


*

  
  


All things considered this isn’t as awkward as Leah had thought it’d be. She hasn’t spontaneously combusted yet either. For the most part the rest of their night is more like a simple night in with a friend as they chat over dinner about work and which shows they’re currently watching. They film here and there but mostly filler things. 

 

And it’s nice talking to Abby one on one, as long as she tries to shove the thoughts of what they’re pretending to be to the side. 

 

When Leah comes to her room ready to turn in for the night, she finds Abby sitting in bed already reading a book. “What are you reading?” she asks, putting her things away in her bag. 

 

“Harry Potter,” she answers. 

 

Leah looks over at her, it’s hard not to be just the slightest bit excited over this. “You’re reading Harry Potter?” she asks, “Did Simon finally wear you down?”

 

Abby looks down, smiling sheepishly as she dog ears the page she’s on. “Yeah, something like that,” she answers softly, “I started it two weeks ago.”

 

“Oh my God. Please tell me you didn’t just dog ear Harry Potter,” Leah says. She’s staring at Abby who sighs, sending her a weird look.

 

“Not you too,” she says, shaking her head as she sets the book on her nightstand. “Nick lectured me during lunch last week when he saw me dog earing a page.”

 

“Well, he was right to. You can’t just do that to books, especially not  _ Harry Potter _ ,” she explains, she’s starting to get into the bed. “I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”

 

Abby snorts as she leans her head against the headboard. “You feel that strongly about this, don’t you?” she asks teasingly, turning her head to look at her. “Are you going to divorce me over this?”

 

Leah settles into bed, looking up at Abby. “Yeah, I just might,” she replies. 

 

There’s a pause as Abby’s looking at her with an amused look. She tilts her head as if debating something in her mind. “Should we talk about this in the video?” she asks. 

 

She shrugs in response, feeling a rush of disappointment at the reminder that all this time they’re spending together is for the sake of a video. She forces a smile when Abby smiles at her, reaching for her phone. 

 

She watches carefully as Abby starts recording again. “We just had our first disagreement as a married couple. Leah’s mad at finding out that I dog ear books when reading,” she explains to the camera. “She told me she might divorce me over this.”

 

“You dogeared Harry Potter,” she says in a tone that stresses how she feels about this. Abby giggles as she turns the camera towards her. “That’s very offensive to me."

 

She isn’t even sure how she gets the sentence out because Abby’s giggle sounds like music, and it causes Leah's mouth go dry and her heartbeat to quicken. She watches as Abby continues to talk to the camera for a minute or two before turning it off. And her heart aches at every movement. 

 

Eventually, Abby shuts off the lights, then making her way back and settling into bed for the night. They lay in the dark for a few moments, before Abby whispers, “Goodnight, Leah.”

 

She stays quiet for a moment. “Goodnight, Abby.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, i'm back with an update. sorry for the long delay, but I hope you enjoy!

_ Tuesday _

  
  


Leah wakes up to an unfamiliar alarm going off. 

 

She groans as she slowly opens her eyes. It takes a moment for it to settle in that she’s in Abby’s bedroom and another to remember that the last day hasn’t been some weird dream. The reminder causes her heart to skip a beat as she looks over to the space beside her only to find that it’s empty.

 

“Sorry,” Abby says, walking into the room heading right towards the bedside table. “I forgot to turn that off,” she mumbles as she grabs her phone.

 

Leah sighs heavily, letting her face fall back into the pillow. “What time is it?”

 

“Oh, it’s six thirty,” Abby answers. There’s noises as she’s moving around the room, Leah assumes she’s gathering what she needs to get ready for the morning. 

 

There’s a pause before Abby’s words finally sink into her tired mind. She rolls over before sitting up, instantly regretting sitting up so fast, the exhaustion catching up just as quickly. She stares at Abby’s back as she’s shifting through her drawers.

 

“You can’t be serious,” Leah says, “Work doesn’t start until  _ nine _ .”

 

Abby grabs some clothes out before closing the drawer and turning to look at Leah. She tilts her head slightly. “I know,” she says slowly, almost unsure as if trying to figure out what Leah’s point is.

 

And of course, Leah thinks, of course she’s a morning person who doesn’t see that waking up this earlier is complete and utter nonsense.

 

“You live fifteen minutes from work,” she says. “There’s no reason for you to wake up this early.”

 

Abby smiles sheepishly as she hugs her clothes close to her, shrugging as she leans against the dresser. “I don’t like being late,” she says simply, “Besides I like going on morning runs.”

 

Leah lets out a strained sigh as she tilts her head back, she’s not even surprised by this new information. She should’ve assumed this by now, it’s such an Abby Suso kind of thing.

 

“Of course you do,” she scoffs, looking back at Abby who’s brows are furrowed and she’s frowning. She’s not sure what to make of that expression, she clears her throat and says, “Uh. Have fun on your run.”

 

Abby’s face softens slightly as she sends her a small smile before nodding. “Okay, sorry for waking you. Sleep some more, I’ll wake you up in a bit,” she says cautiously.

 

Leah nods stiffly as she lays back down, shifting around to get comfortable again. “Yeah. Sounds good,” she says as she pulls the blanket around her. 

 

There’s a moment of silence before she hears the creak of the floor and Abby’s footsteps leaving the room. She lets out a small sigh as the door clicks shut, closing her eyes as she buries herself in the covers trying her best to go back to sleep. 

 

She lays like that for what feels like an eternity, shifting around before giving up because she’s impatient that the sleep isn’t coming as quickly as she thought it would.

 

Simon’s words about remembering to film things throughout the week echoes through her brain and she figures she might as well film now, since she’s not falling asleep and doesn’t want to get out of bed.

 

“Abby wakes up at an ungodly hour. It doesn’t even make sense, she lives so close to work,” she explains to her phone camera, her face squished against the pillow and her voice still rough.

 

“So, right now, she’s on her morning run. Why would she do that to herself?” She shakes her head slightly. “And I just want to go back to sleep, honestly, this… This would never work for me if we were actually together.”

 

And even though she thinks it’s true, admitting it aloud causes something in her chest to twist because the realization that this wouldn’t work outside of the pretend hurts. It hurts so much. But that doesn’t stop the small sliver of hope from trying to sneak it’s way back in and she’s not sure which she hates more. 

 

She rubs a hand over her face as she sighs softly. “I’m so tired,” she mumbles, “I don’t even know what else to talk about.” 

 

She stops recording and saves the video with a heavy sigh, feeling instantly tired again before she decides to check her emails and then scroll through her instagram feed. 

 

She must’ve fallen back asleep as she was scrolling through instagram because somebody, Abby her tired mind supplies, is gently shaking her awake again. “I’m awake, I’m awake,” she mumbles as she turns over, finding Abby looking down at her.

 

“Morning sleepyhead,” Abby says teasingly, she keeps her hand on Leah’s shoulder for a moment before stepping away. “Time to get up for the day,” she adds in an almost sing song tone.

 

“How are you even real?” she grumbles, before stretching her arms slightly. She looks over to find Abby watching her, instantly feeling so self conscious. She wonders what’s going through Abby’s mind. She’s not sure she wants to know as she shakes the thoughts and sits up, stifling a yawn as she lets her feet hit the floor. 

 

When she looks over again Abby’s walking over to grab her phone. “I’ll leave you to it,” she says, leaving the room.

 

Leah sits there for a moment staring at the floor as she tries to get her mind to stop overthinking so early in the morning. She closes her eyes briefly before reminding herself that one day is done.

 

She finally gets up and slowly goes about getting ready. When she leaves the room, she finds Abby in the kitchen softly talking as she’s cooking. She notices she’s recording and nods as she walks further into the room, “What are you doing?”

 

Abby jumps slightly as she spins to face her with a bright smile. “Morning, pumpkin. I don’t know what you normally eat. But I’m making pancakes. Also, coffee’s done,” she says gesturing towards the machine.

 

“Pumpkin?” she asks with a raised brow, she can feel herself blushing at the simple nickname and that bright smile of Abby’s. Clearing her throat, she walks over to grab a cup and hoping to hide her blush, though she’s sure it’s too late for that.

 

“Married couples have cute pet names, I figured we should as well,” Abby explains with a shrug as she films for a few more seconds. She puts her phone away as she turns back to the stove. “So, pancakes are ready.”

 

“I don’t normally eat breakfast,” she says as she sips her coffee, moving over to the table. 

 

Abby turns to face her. “What do you mean you don’t eat breakfast?” 

 

Leah shrugs as she sips her coffee. “I just don’t,” she mumbles when she notices Abby is looking at her expectantly. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to lecture me about the importance of a good balanced breakfast,” she sighs. 

 

Abby gives her this look, it’s almost like she’s amused by it all. She shakes her head as she turns away grabbing a plate from her cabinet. “I don’t want to sound like a nagging wife but,” she trails off with a small smile as she places a small stack of pancakes in front of her. “You gotta eat.”

 

Leah looks at her and snorts as she gets out of her seat to grab more coffee. And then to grab forks when Abby asks her to, along with the syrup. 

 

It isn’t until they’re sitting in front of Abby’s TV eating the pancakes she’s made, that Leah realizes it’s the first time in a long time that anyone’s made her something to eat. She doesn’t count Simon because at one point he had been her roommate and him cooking for her was just part of their daily life.

 

And it’s nice, she thinks, sitting here and eating breakfast with Abby while they watch an episode of Superstore before they need to go in for work. It feels almost too easy like they’ve done this routine before even though it’s the first time. 

 

She thinks for a moment this could work out if it were real after all. But she bats those thoughts away just as quickly as she thinks them.

  
  


*

  
  


They record parts of their car ride, Abby buys them iced coffee on the way to work and when Leah tries to pay for hers she waves her off with a grin. “That’s what fake wives are for,” she simply says. And Leah doesn’t have a response and despite feeling weird about it she puts her wallet away. 

 

“I’m paying next time,” she insists as they pull out of the drive thru. And Abby just smiles before driving them to work.

 

Once they get there, Abby is out of the car first and she’s standing around waiting. Leah thinks just so she can lock the doors but even once the door is shut she’s standing there waiting, it isn’t until Leah starts walking past her that she moves.

 

She uses her free hand to grasp Leah’s, she’s swinging their intertwined hands between them as she greets some of their coworkers who pass by. And Leah can’t help but stare at Abby, she’s not sure what she’s playing at with all the hand holding. 

 

There’s no use for it while they’re not filming. But even if they were, she thinks there’d still be no use for it. This is all pretend, there’s no need for this much commitment. And she can’t help but feel like Abby’s just teasing her like this is all a game, and well, maybe it is. 

 

In Abby’s mind this is all for fun, a fun dumb video.

 

And she should just pull her hand away right this moment.

 

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Abby asks suddenly, startling Leah out of her thoughts. 

 

Leah thinks if there’s a moment throughout this experience that her heart might stop, it’d be right now. But instead her heart speeds up as Abby watches her with a frown. She asks, “Like what?”

 

Abby looks at her. “Like…” she starts to say as she turns to look forward, letting go of her hand to open the door. “Nevermind.” 

 

And Leah stills for a moment as she tries to rack her mind for how her staring might have been taken as. Her heart still beating fast as she worries that she might’ve just exposed her true feelings.

 

She doesn’t have time to think too much about it as Abby turns to her and asks, “What are you waiting for?”

 

She feels her cheeks start to warm as she looks down and walking through the door and keep walking. Only hesitating to a stop when Abby calls out a “wait for me.” She quickly pulls out her phone and scrolls through aimlessly so that both her hands are full. 

 

They walk side by side towards the elevators, Leah reminds herself not to stare and to keep her glances short as they talk about how they need to go grocery shopping later. And Leah points out that Simon should come with them because he’ll want some shots of that. 

 

“Bye, darling, have a good day at work,” Abby says once they reach their floor and need to part ways. 

 

Leah almost chokes on her coffee at the new nickname, she knows she’s flushed. But she raises a brow and asks, “What happened to pumpkin?” 

 

Abby turns around so that she’s walking backwards slowly and laughs. “I thought you didn’t like that one,” she calls back, “Bye pumpkin!”

 

She lets out a laugh despite herself as she watches Abby continue to walk backwards before turning the corner.

  
  


*

  
  


Leah barely has time to get settled into her desk when Garrett has his chair rolling towards her, looking at her expectantly. 

 

“How was day one?” he asks when she doesn’t do more than glance at him. 

 

She sighs as she moves to turn on her computer. “It was fine,” she shrugs. 

 

Really, it was more than fine. It was great even, as long as she ignores those moments she remembered how she felt and internally tried not to panic. Those moments aside, it was better than expected. She thinks she won’t lose her mind after all.

 

“So, not a complete disaster?” he presses on, he looks almost smug about the fact.

 

Leah rolls her eyes. “No,” she grumbles. And because she just has to remind him how she feels about the idea, she adds, “I still think it’s a stupid video idea.”

 

Garrett’s smile doesn’t even falter as he nods. “I can live with that,” he says, rolling back to his desk. “Just provide me with content.”

 

She scoffs, shaking her head as she begins to pull up the files of videos she needs to finish editing from yesterday. 

 

“Hey guys,” Bram greets as he sits down at his desk. 

 

Leah sends him a smile before glancing at Garrett. “How do you deal with that?” she asks, nodding to where Garrett is.

 

Bram looks over to him, humming softly. “He’s an acquired taste,” he says in a serious tone nodding as he looks back at Leah. He laughs when he hears the offended noise from Garrett who’s reminding them that he can hear.

  
  


*

  
  


Throughout the work day she’s mostly glued to her desk because she’s trying to finish editing the video and at one point Cal stops by to help her. She takes a few breaks to get refills of coffee or to help somebody with something.

 

And for the most part, it’s a totally normal day except each time Abby sees her she flashes a smile and touches her arm and Leah pretends that the simple touch doesn’t cause any reaction, as she internally beats the butterflies away before they can go too wild. 

 

Abby also chooses a new pet name each time she greets Leah and Leah rolls her eyes but she can’t stop the way her lips quirk into a small smile.

 

They go to lunch with the group and Abby makes sure they’re sitting next to each other, closer than usual and Leah has to stop herself from screaming internally. For the most part the conversations goes about the same as it usually does. Until Simon films a bit and asks them questions. 

  
  


And then, sometime after lunch Abby comes over to her desk with Nick filming her and she grins brightly as she hands Leah a small box from the fancy bakery a few blocks away. “A cupcake for my cupcake,” she announces.

 

One nice gesture for Abby is done and Leah is reminded that she needs to do something nice for her soon.

 

Leah looks down at the single box, lifting the lid as she looks at the cupcake. It’s red velvet, her favorite and she has to give Abby credit for the effort. “Thanks,” she says as she looks back up. “The nicknames are getting ridiculous though.”

 

Abby just laughs as she shrugs. “Well, that’s just a part of marriage,” she replies. 

 

“Oh, is it?” 

 

“Yup,” she says, nodding. “At least part of ours.”

  
  


*

  
  


They end up having to leave the office later than usual because there were technical difficulties on the set of a video Abby was producing and they still haven’t finished filming. So Leah hangs out with Simon, just the two of them sitting on the floor of the lobby eating chips as they wait for Abby.

 

“Oh my god,” Simon says suddenly, sitting up a bit. “Did you hear that Brendon’s going to be here?” 

 

Leah blinks as she looks at him, “Brendon Urie?”

 

“What other Brendon would I be talking about?” he retorts with a huff.

 

She rolls her eyes and elbows him. “Shut up, Si,” she says. “But is he really?”

 

“Mhm,” he hums nodding, before a grin crosses his face. “He’s doing the puppy interview,” he adds, reaching over to grab the bag of chips from Leah. 

 

“I can die happy now,” she says with a serious expression and Simon laughs before agreeing. “Who’s producing it?”

 

“I don’t know, I found out through Ethan,” he says with a shrug, holding the bag out for her. “I’ll ask him about it.”

 

She grabs some chips popping them into her mouth before she asks, “You want me to sneak on set with you, don’t you?”

 

“Come on, we wouldn’t be sneaking. Technically. You know nobody pays that much attention to who’s hanging around sets,” he explains. “But yeah. You do want to meet Brendon, right?”

 

She hums in consideration, not that there’s much to consider. “We’d probably die from cuteness though,” she responds, nodding like it’s a serious matter. 

 

Simon looks up at the ceiling with a pensive look. “You’re right, but that’s just the price we gotta pay and I’m okay with that,” he replies with a sigh. 

 

“You’re okay with what?”

 

Leah looks up to see Abby standing in front of them, her head tilted as she looks at them. “Dying because of Brendon and puppies,” Simon explains as he gets up to his feet, grabbing his bag as he does.

 

“Ah, I see you two already heard,” Abby says. She’s watching them with an amused look when they both look at her. And Simon’s about to say something, but Abby cuts him off, “Mina’s the lead producer and I was going to tell you right now.”

 

Leah glances at Simon who’s nodding seeming pleased with that response, he turns to meet her gaze and she can already tell what he’s thinking. 

 

Abby clears her throat pulling both of their attention towards her, she’s squinting at them in the amused way she does when she’s about to point out how weird they are. “I asked Mina already and she’s fine with you guys ‘helping out’ on that day,” she says.

 

And Leah’s almost surprised that she knows them that well to know that’d be something they’d asked. That she knows  _ Leah _ that well, it’s kind of strange. 

 

“Abby, you’re my hero. I owe you one,” Simon says holding his hand to his heart gratefully.

 

“Right. Yeah, thanks Abby,” Leah says as she shakes her thoughts away.

 

Abby smiles at her, the same smile from the rooftop. “Pft, of course I’d help my two of my favorite people meet their favorite person,” she says, wrapping an arm around Leah’s shoulders and looping her other through Simon’s arm. 

 

Leah falters slightly as she replays the words over and over and over. “Favorite people?” she asks, her voice quieter than she planned for it. 

 

The look that crosses Abby’s face is almost startled as if she maybe didn’t expect for her to catch that. Or maybe she didn’t mean to say it. She blinks, before looking down at their feet as they walk as a unit. “Well, yeah, of course,” she admits softly with a smile. 

 

And Leah feels like her breath is caught in her throat as she looks away from Abby. Favorite person. She’s one of Abby’s favorite people, she’s not sure where she is on the list but she’s on that list and she’s not sure what to think about that. 

 

But the moments over all too quickly as she hears Simon say something, she doesn’t focus in on it. Too busy trying to tell herself that she shouldn’t read too much into Abby’s words, being one of someone’s favorite people doesn’t mean anything. She’d been included with Simon, who she knows Abby does not view in any romantic sense so it’s probably the same for her. 

  
  


*

  
  


“Hey, can you buy me some Oreo’s?” Simon asks, they haven’t even gone through the doors of the store yet. He looks back at them expectantly as he slows down waiting for them to get a cart. 

 

Abby shares a look with Leah, shaking her head. “Damn, I didn’t know we had a child already.”

 

Leah snorts as she grabs a cart turning towards them and they all head into the store. “I can’t believe you forgot that we had a son, what kind of wife are you?” she deadpans.

 

“Yeah, what kind of mother are you?”

 

There’s that look of Abby’s again, the ‘you two are so weird but it’s amusing’ look before she schools her expression. “What? You kept our kid a secret? How could you do that to me?” she asks dramatically, playing along. 

 

Leah blinks before bursting into laughter as she stops the cart abruptly, it’s not even that funny but she can’t help herself. And then Abby’s laughing too and Simon chuckles as he looks between the two of them, she thinks he’s probably relieved that they’re getting along so well. 

  
  
  


Simon starts to stealthily record so that they won’t get in trouble with the store. They get the standard groceries Abby grabbing things and asking Leah what she usually gets or what she’d prefer to eat.

 

“Abby it’s your house, you can choose whatever you want,” Leah says. She feels weird about giving her input, she’s only staying for a week at Abby’s place. Or maybe it’s just that she’s always felt weird about letting people buy things for her. 

 

Abby gives her a weird look. “Leah,” she says, “You get to have a say in this too. That’s what marriage is about, right, Si?” 

 

Leah looks over to where Simon nods, “She’s right, Leah.”

 

“I don’t really care what we eat,” she says looking back at Abby. 

 

This gets her a sigh in response. “I want you to be comfortable and that means eating things that you actually like,” she says and then quickly turns to look at Simon, “Simon, tell me Leah’s favorite foods.”

 

And Simon looks at Leah, shrugging before listing off some things. Abby nods along, leading them to pick out things that Simon tells her to and he gives actual answers whenever Leah shrugs in response. Eventually Leah starts answering for herself which earns her a small pleased smile from Abby. 

  
  


*

  
  


They drop Simon off with his package of Oreos and Abby turns towards Leah as he disappears through the front door with a final wave. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?” she asks, in a mock serious way. 

 

Leah snorts and says, “They sure do.”

 

And then they head back to Abby’s place, they sit in silence for most of it with only the radio playing softly. The silence isn’t uncomfortable at least Leah doesn’t think it is, until she starts thinking about it and she worries that it is weird for Abby. She thinks she should say something but she isn’t sure what. 

 

“What are you thinking about?” Abby asks, glancing over towards her.

 

Leah hums looking at her and then away. “Nothing,” she says and Abby gives her a look that she can only interpret as meaning she doesn’t buy it one bit. “How are you liking Harry Potter?” she asks quickly, not giving time for Abby to ask anything else. 

 

“I like it,” Abby says after a beat, her gaze focused on the road in front of them. “I’ve seen most of the movies before.”

 

She just  _ likes  _ it. 

 

And Leah almost balks at her she just can’t quite wrap her head around just  _ liking _ Harry Potter, that’s not an option. There’s no middle ground, you’re either full on obsessed with it or not. 

 

“We should watch the movies together,” Abby says completely oblivious to Leah’s internal judgement. 

 

“Sure.”

  
Abby sends her a small smile before she begins to turn down the block her apartment building is on. 

  
  
  


After the groceries are all put away they’re sitting in Abby’s living room each on their own end of the couch and sharing a package of cookies that’s laying on the table. They’re both on their computers. 

 

Abby films a little bit of them in that state before she goes back to looking at her laptop. And it should be weird, Leah thinks, she’s never quite felt comfortable around others in silence, she always feels like they’re bored of her. 

 

But every once in a while Abby laughs and then leans over to show Leah a funny picture or reads out something to her.

 

And for a moment she’s reminded of this morning’s breakfast. Of how nice it is to be around Abby, how easy it almost seems. She thinks maybe it could work out after all, maybe not an actual relationship but just being closer as friends.

 

But then Abby smiles brightly at her and that thought process stops immediately as her heart skips a beat and she thinks no, there’s no way she can be just friends with Abby. She’s just going to end up breaking her own heart or losing her mind. 

  
  


*

  
  


They cook dinner together while listening to Beyonce, Abby sings along to the songs as they keep switching who records at least some of their cooking. And Leah can’t help but smile just a bit as she listens to Abby sing. 

 

At one point she tries to drag Leah into dancing around the kitchen but she feels so out of place and self conscious even though it’s just the two of them.

 

Leah stops recording and saves the video as she goes back to chopping up the vegetables for their meal. “You’re really good singer,” she says. 

 

Abby looks down at the stove with a tiny smile. “Thank you,” she replies. 

 

They eat dinner and talk about everything and nothing. They’re laughing over the ridiculous things Taylor has said earlier that day at work. Or the weirdest thing they saw a co-worker do this week for a video. 

 

It’s almost like the beginning days of their friendship before Leah started falling and running the other way. She misses those days sometimes. 

 

And their food is long gone but they’re still at Abby’s kitchen table talking and laughing. And it’s easy to forget this rekindling of their friendship is because of a video and not just any video but one where they play pretend at being a couple. 

 

“We need to figure out when we’re doing date nights,” Abby says suddenly as they’re lounging comfortably on the couch watching some talent competition. “Thursday is out because that’s double date night.”

 

She sighs heavily, she’d completely forgotten about the whole one date each thing. She hasn’t even begin to think of what kind of date Abby would like. “Uh, what about tomorrow?” 

 

“That doesn’t work,” Abby says, “I have a thing with my cousins. Molly’s visiting, so they wanted to go out for dinner.”

 

“Oh,” she says because she doesn’t know what else to say. “Well, okay, you can plan your date for Friday. And I’ll do Saturday.”

 

There’s a pause as Abby thinks it over. “Can I do Saturday and you do Friday?”

 

Leah shrugs, but she feels a slight panic at having one less day to plan for her surprise date. “That’s fine,” she lies, turning to look at the screen racking her brain for ideas, then she wonders why she’s trying so hard. It’s for a dumb video it doesn’t need to be a perfect date. 

 

But then that small part points out the obvious to her. She wants to actually put in the effort in planning the perfect date for Abby. 

 

“You should come with me to meet my cousins tomorrow,” Abby says abruptly.

 

Leah laughs because she thinks for a moment that Abby is kidding about the invite but when she turns Abby is looking at her expectantly. She shakes her head. “No, I don’t want to intrude,” she insists. 

 

It’s Abby’s turn to laugh. “C’mon, you wouldn’t be intruding,” she says, “It’ll be fun. You’d like them, you can talk Harry Potter with Molly.”

 

She lets out a sharp breath. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m going to pass,” she says. She thinks she might be imagining the look of disappointment on Abby’s face, it’s gone too quickly to be sure. “You should have fun with them. I know you don’t see Molly that much anymore.”

 

When she looks up Abby has that expression on her face again the one that makes it feel like she’s trying to figure Leah out. And it makes her feel just a bit anxious as she turns away to watch the screen intently despite them hardly paying attention to it this entire time. 

  
  


*

  
  


“Leah, you awake?” 

 

Leah’s tempted for a brief moment to not respond to pretend she’s fallen asleep already but she can’t bring herself to. Maybe because it’s Abby or maybe because she can’t sleep and doesn’t want to be left with her thoughts any longer. “Yeah,” she whispers softly.

 

She can feel the bed move as Abby shifts around. And then, Abby asks, “Do you like working at Buzzfeed?” 

 

“Do I like working at Buzzfeed?” she echoes. 

 

“Mhm. Do you?”

 

Leah shifts onto her back and turns her head in Abby’s direction. There’s only the light from the outside streaming in and she can just barely see her. “Do  _ you  _ like working at Buzzfeed?” she asks suddenly as she tries to figure out why she would ask that. 

 

Abby chuckles softly, “I asked you first,” she says firmly. 

 

And she sighs in response as she looks up towards the ceiling, she isn’t sure how to answer the question now that she thinks about it and maybe that’s not a good sign. 

 

“Yeah,” she finally says, “I mean, it’s fun and I like working with my friends. It’s not at all what I thought I’d be doing but I like it.”

 

Abby hums softly and asks, “What did you think you’d be doing?”

 

There’s a pause as she thinks about it. “Honestly?” Abby hums affirmatively, and Leah sighs, she’s not sure why she’s admitting it but she does, “I don’t know. I never had much of a plan, I wanted to do something artistic. But I figured I’d never actually make it in those careers, so. Yeah, somehow found my way into Buzzfeed.”

 

“Yeah. Sometimes life works in strange ways,” Abby mutters and Leah hums in agreement. “If you could be whatever you wanted to be, what’d you do?” 

 

Leah half scoffs, half laughs as she rolls her eyes at the ceiling. “What is this a middle school sleepover?”

 

“I’m just curious,” Abby replies. Leah can hear the smile in her voice and just shakes her head. “Humor me.”

 

“An artist,” she admits. “Or a musician. I played the drums.” 

 

Abby laughs softly, “I know. Simon told me you were in a band in college.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Do you miss it?” Abby asks after a beat of silence, “Being in a band?”

 

Leah hadn’t really thought about those days in a long while, she’s been to busy focusing on work. And she realizes that god, yes, she misses playing in a band so much. It’s not the same just playing alone in her apartment. She even misses their small shows where they barely got paid anything. “Sometimes,” she answers simply.

 

There’s a long moment of silence and she thinks maybe Abby’s fallen asleep already but then she says, “We should start a band.”

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, we should start a band. I’ll be the singer, you on drums, Nick on guitar, and I don’t know, Cal plays a lot of instruments, doesn’t he?” Abby explains, barely containing her laughter. 

 

And Leah can’t help but laugh, shaking her head slightly, “Alright, what would be the band name?” 

 

“I don’t know.” She pauses for a moment, “We’ll think of something.”

 

“‘We’ll think of something’ is a terrible band name,” Leah deadpans.

 

Abby laughs loud and clear before it’s muffled by the pillow. She kicks gently at Leah’s legs, “You know that’s not what I meant.”

 

They both laugh for a moment before Leah clears her throat, “What about you?”

 

“Was I in a band?” 

 

Leah rolls her eyes even though she knows Abby can’t tell, and she says, “No. Do you like working at Buzzfeed?”

 

“Oh,” Abby says in a small voice, there’s a long stretch of silence where she thinks Abby isn’t going to answer. “Most of the time I do. I like the variety and being able to do all the different things we get to do. But I don’t know, I guess like you said it’s not what I expected to be doing.”

 

Leah hums, she hadn’t expected that from Abby. She’s always thought Abby was so sure of everything that she did and that she loved her job at Buzzfeed. “Okay,” she says, “So, what would you be doing if you could?” 

 

“I think my dad wanted me to be something practical like a lawyer, or doctor, or something,” Abby says quietly, and before Leah can even respond she adds, “I’ve always wanted to act.”

 

There’s a sort of wistfulness to her tone that makes Leah wish that Abby could be doing just that. Sure, there’s some acting and scripted videos produced by Buzzfeed but she suspects that’s not the same thing that Abby has in mind.

 

“I think you’d be a great actress,” she finally whispers back.

 

“Thanks,” she says softly. And Leah can hear the smile in her voice again.

 

Leah’s not sure what else to say after that, she doesn’t think there is much else she can say. And Abby doesn’t say anything for a few moments, so she fakes a yawn and mumbles, “I’m so tired.” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, make sure to tell me what you think!
> 
> also come say hi to me on tumblr: @ohdearhappy


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